Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-02-24

Poor Rhodoral something always
seemed to interfere with her dignity and
I make Il impossible for her 10 effectually
snub this fascinating man, for she con-
I fessed 20 herself that he was fascinating,
and HIS afr Just now was little deter
7 mined, as though he had perfect right
/ TO say she should walk with him. This
manner In any one else would have an
noyed her, but she was proud of the in
terest that this usually Indifferent man
manifested in her, and IL was more than
ever pleasing when she remembered that
at first he had not desired an introduc-
/ tion. She became generous enough to
think he had some good reason for not
wishing TO meet Detroit girl; yet what
could ii be- But she had heard that re-
Gently he had promised willingly to pay
| the wager IL one of the officers would in
tTcduce him. but they, enjoying the joke,
had eNch declined, and when he thought
I OF asking one Of his friends at the hotel
he had chanced TO hear Miss Blacks re-
mark to Mrs. Mason. l
| Rhodora meant, now that she knew
him, to be rigid in her manner. She
wished to be severe and punish him IL she
could. At present he had taken her un-
awares, and she allowed him to accom-
pany her, but they did not take the walk
along the locks that she lad intended; he
led her to the shade of tho woods, and
they came back laden with mosses and
/ wild flowers. People are apt to drop
drawing room conventionalities in the
freedom of open air intercourse, and be-
fore they returned the lieutenant had told
her that his aversion to Detroit girls was
/ IN altogether sympathetic affair, caused
by his particular friend having been
Tilted by one Of these fair girls, and he
! had then and there declared he knew
them to be heartless. He admitted that
I it was an unpardonably hasty and possi-
bly, unjust conclusion. He told her when
he had first seen her on the steamer deck
with her opera glass up, and she explained
that being nearsighted and not wearing
glasses she always carried an opera glass
when travelling. "If you had noticed"
she said, "you would have seen my glasses
were turned wrong side to that time.
! wanted the Sault to look as small and far
away possible" and then she explained
why she did not wish to visit the Sault
this year.
! He regretted her disappointment, but
could not say he was sorry the regiment
y changed places. ..
! When the dinner hour came Rhodora
insisted upon her mother proceeding inn
mediately to the table. 1t was ridicu-
lously unromantic, but after this the lieu
tenant and Rhodora were always on time
to their meals.
Several weeks had passed when one
bright afternoon Miss Black received q
bunch of passionate purple rhodoras, and
, in their midst there lay this little note;
"Alohal
! "Will you wear these for my sake? l
found them in the woods. Perhaps you
know this little poem, and below he had
written these few lines from Emerson's
''Rhodora':
Rhodora! if the saees ask thee why
This charm is wasted on the earth and sky,
Tell them, dear, that If eyes were made for see
ing, ..... ..
= Then beauty is its own excuse for being.
Why thou vert there, rival of the rose!
Inever thought to ask never knew;
But, in my simple ignorance, suppose
! The self same power that brought me there
brought you.
He had underscored two words-me and
you. She reread the lines, and then,
strange woman, she passionately kissed
the flowers but tore the note into little
shreds and threw it away.
At the dinner table that night she wore
bunch of purple rhodoras in her white
gown but Lieut.. Halstead could not get
glimpse of those wonderful gray eyes,
the eyes that lightened that smiled, that
grew sad, that were unfathomable, that
tonight were continually yelled by the
dark curling lashes.
1t was unusually warm in Detroit this
/ summer, and Mr. Black was anxious to
speedily arrange his business affairs that
/, he might join his wife and daughter soon
after their arrival at the Sault, but IT was
quite nine weeks before ne was able to dc
80. .. ......
They came down to the boat to meet
him, and he was mystifed by the anxious
manner of the one and the serious air OF
the other.
The morning after Mr.. Blacks arrival
Lieut.. Halstead might be seen impatient
ly pacing to and fro in the cozy room that
served as the Black sitting room. The
door was gently opened and Miss Rhodora
came in fresh and smiling, her eyes
twinkling with suppressed laughter
cat lastr exclaimed the lieutenant,
his face radiant, as he held out both hands
to meet her. ...
Miss Rhodora Black was one of the pret-
test brides Detroit ever saw. She wore
a soft tulle gown and carried bunch OF
purple hodoras.-George Truman Ker'
cheval in Chicago Times.
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